1. Home
2. Media Room
3. Info Sheets
4. Fact Sheet - ecoFREIGHT

Fact Sheet - ecoFREIGHT

As part of its environmental agenda, the Government of Canada has launched the ecoTRANSPORT Strategy. This strategy features the ecoFREIGHT program — a key step to reducing the environmental and health effects of freight transportation.

ecoFREIGHT — Meeting the challenge of sustaining a clean, healthy transportation system
A federal investment of up to $61 million over four years supports six initiatives, two of which specifically target the trucking industry:

1. National Harmonization Initiative for the Trucking Industry: With up to $6 million in funding, this Transport Canada initiative is designed to identify solutions to national and provincial requirements that create barriers for the trucking industry in adopting current technologies to reduce emissions. This work is done in partnership with the provinces and territories.
2. ecoENERGY for Fleets: With funds of up to $22 million, this Natural Resources Canada initiative focuses on reducing fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions in commercial and institutional fleets through training and education, sharing of best practices, anti-idling campaigns, technical analysis and evaluations to identify opportunities for improvements, and other technology activities.

The other initiatives pertain to all four modes of transportation (air, rail, road and marine), as well as users of the freight system:

3. Freight Technology Demonstration Fund: With available funds of up to $10 million, this Transport Canada initiative provides cost-shared funding to companies in the air, rail, road and marine modes in order to test and measure the environmental and operational performance of new and under-used freight transportation technologies. Industry partners measure and report on results such as fuel savings, emissions reductions, technology purchase, installation and training costs and the impacts on operations, equipment and maintenance.
4. Freight Technology Incentives: With up to $10 million in funding, this Transport Canada initiative mitigates financial barriers to the adoption of new and under-used technologies, many of which currently have a cost premium that makes the initial financial outlay or the length of the payback period difficult. Under the program, cost-shared funding is provided to companies and non-profit associations in all modes of the freight transportation industry for the purchase and installation of proven emission-reducing technologies.
5. Partnerships on Freight: With up to $7 million in funding, this Transport Canada initiative brings together a range of partners within the sector to reduce emissions from freight transportation (road, rail, aviation and marine). Transport Canada will enhance its partnerships with other countries in international forums while developing partnerships with users of the freight system. These partnerships complement the broad environmental regulatory agenda, setting targets and action plans for emissions reduction in the short term in areas not suitable for regulation or before regulations take effect in 2011.
6. Marine Shore Power Program: With available funds of up to $6 million, this Transport Canada initiative supports pilot projects for the installation and use of shore-based power for marine vessels in Canadian ports. With this technology, operators will have the option to connect their vessels directly to a shore power source while in port. Many vessels are already equipped to take advantage of shore power where it is available. This technology will improve local air quality by reducing air pollution from ships in some of Canada's largest urban centres.

Transportation is a key element of the government's environmental agenda. Keeping people and goods moving is vital to a strong economy and is critical to Canada's prosperity. A more sustainable transportation system will result in safety, social and economic benefits for all Canadians.

For more information on the ecoFREIGHT program, visit Transport Canada's website at http://www.tc.gc.ca/ecoTRANSPORT.

An ecoFREIGHT Backgrounder is also available at http://www.tc.gc.ca/mediaroom/backgrounders/ecofreight.htm

For more information on ecoENERGY initiatives, visit http://ecoaction.gc.ca/index-eng.cfm or call 1-800 O-Canada (1-800-622-6232), teletypewriter 1-800-926-9105.

August 2009

Date modified:

2009-12-21

Primary navigation